August 5th, 2012
This post is also available in: French
I’ve been cooking a whole lot lately, which tends to happen to me every summer. I don’t know if it’s the energy from the sun or all the inspiring warm weather produce, but the kitchen is my playground at the moment.
Paloma devouring a popsicle/ Shelled favas
Paloma turns four next weekend, and if you ask us parents how and when that happened, we’ll shrug our shoulders. She was just learning to walk, as far as we remember.
There will be a splash party for which Paloma has already made an excessive amount of imaginary cupcakes. The only request for the cake has been to make sure that it’s pink. And pink it will be.
Today I want to share a recipe for a salad that is as delicious as it is simple. My friend Ira recently served it at dinner and we were amazed by its vibrant flavours.
Slices of a juicy summer watermelon get soaked in sangria, topped with shaved fennel and baby arugula, and then sprinkled with a sweet dressing. Easy and beautiful.
Our beach at sunset / Black raspberries
You can use store bought sangria, of course, but now is the perfect time for a pitcher of the fruitiest homemade sangria. No pressure.
I like to make it with absurd amounts of fruit and berries of all kinds, lots of citrus slices too. The key is to let it sit overnight so the fruit absorbs the wine and vice versa.
Gazpacho for dinner / Another sunset
Easter egg radishes / Grilled peaches with creme
There have also been endless pots of gazpacho, batches of sorbets and popsicles, and peach grilling at friend Lena’s beautiful jungle-like backyard. Hope your summer is sunny.
Tipsy Watermelon Salad
1 medium watermelon – well chilled, rind removed, and cut into thick, uniform shapes
sangria
1 fennel bulb – shaved
baby arugula leaves
Dressing
1/2 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
In a dish, generously drizzle watermelon with sangria. Let marinate in the refrigerator for about an hour. To serve, top with shaved fennel and arugula. Mix all the dressing ingredients and drizzle on top of the salad. Finish off with a sprinkle of coarse sea salt.
Tags: fennel, raw, recipe, salad, sangria, vegan, watermelon
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July 9th, 2011
There are not many dishes as desirable on a hot summer afternoon as a well chilled gazpacho. This particular one stands out as one of my first culinary memories in this country. It was about twelve years ago, when I wasn’t very familiar with any other types of cooking other than Russian. I tasted a smooth and well spiced tomato soup with an unexpected pop of perfectly sweet, cold and juicy watermelon pieces right in the middle of it all. That gazpacho left a long lasting impression. That’s what one ought to eat in the summer, I thought.
Since then, I’ve discovered and tried many gazpacho recipes. Some were good, some – not so much, but none were ever as tasty and refreshing as that first gazpacho. Finally, years later, I decided that it was time to recreate that dream of a soup.
Before, I’ve tried making a watermelon-based gazpacho, but didn’t much agree with the way the watermelon behaved once pureed. I realized that the success of this dream soup was in its smooth tomato base, while the watermelon is present only in pieces, which surprise with additional bursts of chilled sweetness on your tongue.
After all these years, it’s hard to say how much my soup resembles the original one, but it’s safe to say that we enjoyed it just as much.
Smooth Vegetable Gazpacho with Watermelon Pieces
(serves 4)
about 11 heirloom tomatoes – skin and seeds removed (you might have to blanch them quickly so that the skin comes off easier)
4 small pickling cucumbers or 1-2 large cucumbers – peeled, seeds removed
1 cup packed basil leaves or more to taste
1 cherry pepper or another hot pepper to taste – seeded
1-2 garlic cloves (optional, if you like a more pronounced flavour)
1 small shallot (optional, same reason as above)
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon sea salt
freshly ground black pepper – to taste
ripe, chilled watermelon – cut into bite-size pieces
In a high speed blender, combine all of the ingredients, with the exception of watermelon, until smooth. You may need to do it in two batches. Optionally, pass through a fine strainer to achieve a very smooth texture. Adjust the salt and pepper and chill well. Serve with watermelon pieces and fresh basil leaves.
Tags: recipe, soup, tomato, Uncategorized, watermelon
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